Dear Friends,
Years ago, I invited my good friend, and one of the region's finest novelists, Tina McElroy Ansa, to speak at an event in Atlanta. It was February, and the request was for her to speak at an African-American history celebration. Tina not only writes the truth, but she speaks the truth.
She didn't make it to Atlanta that year for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I should have invited her to speak not ONLY during African-American History Month. Originally from middle Georgia, Tina and her late husband, the filmmaker Jonee' Ansa, moved to St. Simons more than 30 years ago. Since that time, Tina has published multiple books, performed in front of more than 1,500 at The MOTH town hall gatherings in NYC, founded the Sea Island Writers Retreat, and received more awards and recognitions that there is room to print in this space.
Like so many of the wonders sometimes hidden on this island, Tina is a treasure. She knows well not only the history of the enslaved peoples, and their descendants, who lived and worked on Georgia's coast, she celebrates and honors their heritage every day in her published works, her storytelling, her MOTH Radio Hour broadcasts, her mentoring of others, her care and feeding of friends.
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The neighborhood where Tina and Jonee created their forever home has changed dramatically over the past three decades. Not far from them is the Historic Harrington School that was at one time listed among the "Places of Peril" by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and had been slated for demolition. Thankfully, many in this community came together to save and restore the old one-room schoolhouse that sits on property owned by the St. Simons Land Trust and is leased to the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition for a dollar a year. |
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Photo by African American Heritage Coalition |
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If you haven't been to what was once called the Harrington Graded School and was a gathering place for generations of St. Simons families, I hope you'll go there soon. If you haven't had a chance to read about the Gullah Geechee heritage in the Golden Isles, please have someone at Righton Books in Redfern Village direct you to one of the many books on the history and culture of those who lived and toiled here for so many years before all of us came to St. Simons.
What Tina told me so graciously all those years ago is that there is a difference between history and heritage, and the heritage is something we should be celebrating every month of the year -- not just in February.
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Emily Ellison
Executive Director
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AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY FESTIVAL |
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The Land Trust once again participated in the African American History Festival at Fort Frederica National Monument with a table of information and a display of historic artifacts collected during archaeological research at Cannon’s Point Preserve.
History Task Force member, Myrna Crook, Coastal Georgia Historical Society Archaeology Lab Intern, Jennifer Stout, and Stephanie Knox staffed the table for the day speaking to some of the 625 attendees about African American History at Cannon’s Point Preserve.
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LAND TRUST PROPERTY UPDATES |
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In partnership with Coastal Georgia Audubon, the Land Trust hosted a guided "Superb Owl" walk at Cannon's Point Preserve on Super Bowl Sunday. Nearly 20 people came out to enjoy the walk, guided by Land Trust board member/volunteer and President of Coastal Georgia Audubon, Bob Sattelmeyer.
Thank you to Bob for leading this walk and thank you to all who attended!
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SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS FEATURED
Recently, the College of Coastal Georgia featured service-learning projects that occurred last year at Land Trust properties. These projects include butterfly research at Cannon's Point Preserve done in partnership with Butterflies of the Atlantic Flyway Alliance (BAFA) as well as assessing invasives plant populations across several Land Trust properties and developing outreach resources about this research.
We are grateful for our partnership with Dr. Tate Holbrook and CCGA, and we are grateful to these students for working so hard on these projects!
Read more about the projects above and others HERE. |
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Head out to Guale Preserve soon to view the newly updated interpretive signage! These signs feature beautiful illustrations and photos alongside information about coastal Georgia wildlife, habitats, and history.
Six signs can be found along Polly's Trail and one can be found at the Preserve's waterfront. Enjoy!
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Left to right: Allan Berger, Lynn Finnegan, Claudia Mullis, Richard Burgner, and Gary Nikoukary |
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In addition to our 2022 Volunteer of the Year, Richie Williamson, the Land Trust is pleased to recognize five other volunteers who dedicated their time and talents to the Land Trust last year in the various categories including education, administration, conservation, and events.
Please join us in congratulating our
2022 Top Volunteers:
Allan Berger, Richard Burgner, Lynn Finnegan, Claudia Mullis, and Gary Nikoukary!
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Combined, these volunteers donated 467.25 hours of their talents to help the Land Trust with a variety of activities including trimming trails, entering data, volunteering at the oyster roast, and being docents at Cannon’s Point Preserve.
The Land Trust recognized and thanked these volunteers with a guided behind-the scenes tour of the ecologically significant Altama WMA. The tour was led by our partners and Cannon’s Point Preserve Conservation Task Force members, Jason Lee and Eamonn Leonard, biologists with Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
To learn more and become a Land Trust Volunteer, click HERE. |
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We are so excited to share that the Land Trust's Land Steward Technician, Rebecca Cushing, was selected this month as a "Superhero Alumni" for the College of Coastal Georgia. This title is given to an alumnus who advocates for the College, promotes service and achievement in their careers, and embodies a can-do attitude.
Rebecca graduated in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Coastal Ecology and Environmental Science. After graduating, she started working for the St. Simons Land Trust as its Land Steward Technician. Rebecca works to monitor and enhance over 30 properties protected by the SSLT. She works closely with staff members, volunteers, and SSLT partners to coordinate and carry out land management and community outreach, including working with CCGA on service-learning projects.
Congratulations, Rebecca!
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Have you ever wondered WHAT IF a particular property on St. Simons Island had not been protected? What could have been developed there? How much wildlife could have been impacted? How many more cars would be traveling the island’s roads?
Be on the lookout for our "WHAT IF . . ." posts on social media over the next few months as we share what could have been IF this generous community had not helped to protect the nearly 1,200 acres in our trust.
Join the more than 1,000 households who are investing in St. Simons' future
by becoming a Land Trust member or gifting a membership to a loved one TODAY.
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See below for our first "What If . . ." feature of the year:
John Gilbert Nature Trail
(click the image to read more)
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Note: After more than a decade of use and impact from storms, the John Gilbert Nature Trail boardwalk is in need of repairs. Thank you for your patience as we complete these repairs over the coming months. If you would like to make a contribution that is restricted to this project, your check can be mailed to P.O. Box 24615, St. Simons Island, GA 31522 with a note in the memo line saying: “JGNT Repairs.”
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The 'A Penny for Your Thoughts' conversation series with our Pennies for Preservation partners continues! This Q&A initiative individually highlights each partner so the community can connect with and get to know each business and business owners a little better.
Please see the comments below from the Pennies for Preservation partner who was featured on social media in FEBRUARY.
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ELECTRIC COAST
We asked our Pennies for Preservation partner Ross Smith, owner of Electric Coast, about his business's motto. Here is what he said!
"You could say our motto is 'E is for Everyone.' At Electric Coast, the belief is that electric bikes ('e-bikes') are truly for everyone, removing barriers to bike riding and encouraging adult riders of all ages and abilities to spend more time actively enjoying the outdoors. There are many benefits to being active more often from improved mood to sleep quality to cardiovascular and muscular health. E-bikes provide a great opportunity to enjoy those things because they're simple, accessible, and affordable. Plus, they're tons of fun and put a big grin on the face of almost every customer we have!"
Electric Coast handles e-bike sales, service, and rentals. Thank you, Ross, the entire Electric Coast team, and their patrons for helping preserve St. Simons!
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Let's Keep it Local!
Please remember to continue supporting our Golden Isles businesses
and the Land Trust's dedicated Pennies for Preservation partners.
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Participating businesses raise contributions by either:
1) Collecting a voluntary 1% or specific dollar amount donation from
their customers' receipts/invoices.
OR
2) Donating 1% of their companies' proceeds or services.
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March 1: Coastal Georgia Audubon Society's Project Safe Flight program, Susan Shipman Building, GaDNR, 7pm
March 4: Glynn County School District's STEAMFest
March 21 - June 21: Great American Cleanup
April 14: SSLT Movie Night Under the Oaks, Land Trust Office. FREE tickets available soon!
April 22: Georgia Department of Natural Resources' CoastFest
January 20, 2024: St. Simons Land Trust's annual OYSTER ROAST, Gascoigne Bluff Park, SSI
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THANK YOU TO OUR
2023 12-MONTH SPONSORS
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AS ALWAYS,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND SUPPORT!
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